Some snow overnight 11/12 April 2014

Nothing too unusual to have snow in April I suppose, but went on my short outing up the hill today and ...

Sure enough there was a smattering...


up to about 10cm where drifted ...


re-tracing my tracks...


A drizzly day, more like English weather


Tried a new (to me) track, but too narrow...


Abandoned that...


Muddied the truck though and enjoyed

like the rear bumper on there Clive ..

cool pics too

Red Oktober said:

like the rear bumper on there Clive ..

cool pics too

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Thanks Carl, it's an old ARB that rusted badly, so I took it off and refurbed it.

I've just come back from 10 days in Qatar and was looking forward to some European weather! Got more than I'd bargained for I think!

Anyway it was great to get out into some fresh air and feel some mud under my feet.

It's no fun for me in the Middle East.

Even the garden was enjoying a drop of rain after the dry spell we've had these last weeks...







Come and visit with ratrace's overland next year "Romania 2015" it would be great to see you guys here

looking great!

AndyCook said:

looking great!

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Cheers Andy

Chas said:

Save some of that snow for our visit, nice cherry tree, here's ours, with a view of the finished (outside) garage extension, inside is 12' square, not furnished yet.

View attachment 12620

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It's looking good Chas, I bet you can't wait to get the poker table and chairs in, and a little bar on the wall and a dart-board and the pool table...

I think it will have to be a pool table, the original idea was for a snooker table but I miscalculated.

Chas said:

I think it will have to be a pool table, the original idea was for a snooker table but I miscalculated.

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Snooker tables are mahoosive, and you need a lot of space around them...

clivehorridge said:

Snooker tables are mahoosive, and you need a lot of space around them...

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I worked with a chap who had an extension built on the back of his house for a snooker table, builder took inside measurements for outside measurements, he couldn't pot a ball without the cue hitting the wall behind him.

I've seen snow in July at the top of the Transfagarasan, but I doubt there'll be any in August anywhere in Romania.

You'll just have to come back again, another time Chas...

clivehorridge said:

I've seen snow in July at the top of the Transfagarasan, but I doubt there'll be any in August anywhere in Romania.

You'll just have to come back again, another time Chas...

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it had only just opened when I crossed it in late june a couple of years back

moggy1968 said:

it had only just opened when I crossed it in late june a couple of years back

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That's about right moggy, open to traffic through July, August and September.... then the next snow comes!

There's an extreme ski/board competition there usually April/May. It's quite a wild place all seasons... sorry they're crappy pics, I found them on gurgle...









They build an ice hotel there most years...

Nice playground Clive. Bet you get some great views.

Gary820 said:

Nice playground Clive. Bet you get some great views.

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Yes Gary, it's great here!

Took another track today from the house, it goes up to the same place (as the first post), but it's very narrow, muddy and steep!

Following the 1F NE


My usual route is the track to the left of this one (Strada Poiana Comarnic), which meets the asphalt road (DJ 101S) coming in from the left




Pretty sticky stuff!






There's a few more to add, I'll edit them in later...

PS Now I'm back from walking my little'un on the neighbour's horse...



This is steep, but doesn't look it in the pics...




Eventually, on the top!


Looking down the way we'd come up...


We then took a run down the hill to the asphalt and found a cart track on the right (marked in red).


No photos of this but the track was very wet from yesterday's rain and so effin' slippery! On the contours, the arse-end was siding away which was very scary!

Time to find a safe way down, so at the end of the red line, which was very steep straight up the hill but on grass (thankfully), we turned right and then right again facing back down onto a steep but safe track running directly down the hill.


Looking ahead of us


And looking back up poised for the decent...


These narrow tracks can be difficult


It then got narrower and steeper...


...and steeper






Looking back up...




And then dropping down to the asphalt, on the right.


Why is it that steep never looks steep in photos!

The truck was standing on its nose coming down there

PPS
BFG Muds. Excellent tyre, found grip on the rocky sections even when full of sticky gloop. Can't rate them high enough for soft-going offroad.

that really does look sticky slippy gloopy shit!! the kind that turns your tyres into racing slicks!!

moggy1968 said:

that really does look sticky slippy gloopy shit!! the kind that turns your tyres into racing slicks!!

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It was Moggy, scared the gloop out of me at one stage, traversing the contour of the hill, which was steep, on a track but only tyre tracks formed by the carts, it was just grass-less topsoil, and the back end started to slide away....

That's why we abandoned that run. Once we'd got to the top, I could have gone further along the ridge, but there was no sign of a track back down to the asphalt.

I had visions of me rolling down the hill Ben style, not a good thought!